Trump Orders ‘Substantial’ Cut In US-South Korea Military Drills, Cites Kim Jong Un Ties

US
P eside t
Do ald
T ump
has
di ected
Sec eta y
of
Wa
Pete
Hegseth
to
“substa tially
educe”
joi t
milita y
exe cises
with
South
Ko ea,
citi g
his
elatio ship
with
No th
Ko ea
leade
Kim
Jo g
U
a d
calli g
the
d ills
costly
a d
i app op iate.

I
a
post
o
T uth
Social,
T ump
said
he
was
u happy
that
the
US
had
p eviously
ag eed
to
take
pa t
i
joi t
milita y
exe cises
with
South
Ko ea.

“Based
o
my
ve y
good
elatio ship
with
Kim
Jo g
U ,
of
No th
Ko ea,
I
am
ot
happy
with
the
fact
that
the
U ited
States
has,
lo g
ago,
ag eed
to
pa ticipate
i
Joi t
Milita y
Exe cises
with
South
Ko ea,”
T ump
said.

T ump
Calls
Exe cises
I app op iate
A d
Hostile’

T ump
desc ibed
the
exe cises
as
expe sive
a d
said
they
co veyed
a
message
to
No th
Ko ea
that
was
“i app op iate
a d
hostile”.

“These
exe cises
a e
ot
o ly
costly,
with
much
of
these
costs
paid
fo
by
the
U ited
States
of
Ame ica
(as
usual!),
but
se d
a
sig al
that
is
totally
i app op iate
a d
hostile,
to
a
Cou t y
that,
as
lo g
as
Do ald
J.
T ump
has
bee
P eside t,
has
bee
u th eate i g
a d
espectful.”
he
w ote.

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T ump
said
ca celli g
the
exe cises
completely
was
o
lo ge
possible
because
of
thei
timi g.
Howeve ,
he
di ected
Hegseth
to
sig ifica tly
scale
them
back.

“The efo e,
a d
based
o
the
fact
that
it
is
too
late
to
ca cel,
I
have
i st ucted
Sec eta y
of
Wa ,
Pete
Hegseth,
to
substa tially
educe
the
Joi t
Milita y
Exe cises!”
T ump
added.

T ump
also
efe ed
to
a
ece t
co ve satio
with
South
Ko ea
P eside t
Lee
Jae
Myu g,
claimi g
that
he
had
asked
whethe
South
Ko ea
would
joi
the
US
i
the
“De uclea isatio
of
the
Islamic
Republic
of
I a “,
but
claimed
Seoul
had
decli ed.

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Russia,
Moscow
Regio
Ta geted

No th
Ko ea
Has
C iticised
Upcomi g
D ills

T ump’s
comme ts
came
as
No th
Ko ea
has
c iticised
the
upcomi g
US-South
Ko ea
exe cises,
wa i g
that
the
d ills
would
i c ease
te sio s
o
the
Ko ea
Pe i sula,
Al
Jazee a
epo ted.

Pyo gya g
has
outi ely
opposed
joi t
milita y
exe cises
betwee
Washi gto
a d
Seoul,
desc ibi g
them
as
p ovocatio s.

The
joi t
exe cises,
k ow
as
“Ulchi
F eedom
Shield”,
a e
scheduled
to
begi
o
August
17
a d
co ti ue
th ough
August
27.

The
d ills
will
i clude
t ai i g
focused
o
cou te i g
d o es,
GPS
dis uptio
a d
cybe attacks
as
the
US
a d
its
allies
seek
to
espo d
to
No th
Ko ea’s
evolvi g
milita y
capabilities.

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